As Smithsonian magazine notes, a report from the government’s Bureau of Meteorology suggests that fire activity is due to increase on the continent in the immediate future, thanks to higher temperatures and decreased precipitation.

It’s probably a good thing, then, that it’s too hot for Oodnadatta residents (Oodnadattians? Oodna-Loodnas?) to pump gasoline. The last thing Australia needs right now is more fuel.

Smoke from a bushfire billows over beachgoers at Carlton.Reuters/Joanne Giuliani